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Some incredible early work from John Coltrane – 3 sessions recorded under the leadership of Paul Chambers, and even done before Coltrane's more famous work with Miles Davis! First up is material from the Imperial album Chamber's Music – led by Chambers, and one of the earliest small group sessions with Coltrane – a very spare batch of bass-heavy tracks with an incredibly relaxed groove. Chambers is at the full peak of his youthful talents, and solos quite a bit next to spare piano fills by Drew. Trane's tone is loud and raw, with more bluesiness than you'd expect – and we mean that in a good way! Titles include "Dexterity", "Trane's Blues", and "Eastbound". Added to these are 3 more tracks from a really wonderful Massachusetts session in 1956 – recorded for Transition Records – and featuring Coltrane and Chambers with Pepper Adams, Roland Alexander, and Donald Byrd – playing, long, bluesy, almost-improvised tunes that include "Trane's Strain", "High Step", and "Nixon Dixon & Yates Blues". Last up are more tracks from the album Whims Of Chambers – again recorded under Chambers' leadership, this time for Blue Note in 1956 – with a group that includes Donald Byrd, Kenny Burrell, and Horace Silver. The writing is great, and the group has a nice dark edge that gives the session a slightly different sound than other Blue Note albums from the time. Chambers leads off with the bass on most tracks, kind of putting the work at an off-center pace that really gives it a fresh feel – and which makes it different from the straighter bop sound of his albums as a leader on Vee Jay. Tracks include "We Six", "Dear Ann", "Tale Of The Fingers", and "Omicron". CD features 11 tracks in all – quite possibly not all of the tracks from the albums, but the important Coltrane ones.

Amazing work from the early, legendary years of Billy Eckstine – that time when he was fronting one of the hippest backing groups a vocalist could hope to have! Eckstine's voice was already becoming the stuff of legend by the time of these recordings – but thanks to contributions from a host of famous boppers, his band was getting equal fame, too – a really legendary lineup that includes such greats as Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie,Kenny Dorham, and Fats Navarro on trumpets; Wardell Gray, Dexter Gordon, and Gene Ammons on tenor; Leo Parker on baritone; Art Blakey on drums; and many other huge names too! The band was virtually a school for a whole generation of jazzmen to come – allowing them to play together, get to know each other, and spin off in important small groups – much in the way the Kenton group a few years later allowed so much development on the west coast. And amidst all this great music, Billy's vocals have never sounded better – much bolder and hard-swinging than in later years!

Everybody Digs Bill Evans – or at least it certainly seems that way from the cover endorsements by Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, and Ahmad Jamal – but the real proof is in the record, and the set is a great one from Bill's classic years on Riverside! Evans is at the peak of his early powers here – working with a straightforward rhythm combo that features Sam Jones on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums – but still hitting those beautifully fluid, beautifully spacious lines that set his playing apart from most who'd come before him. Tracks include 3 solo numbers – "Lucky To Be Me", "Peace Piece", and the very short "Epilogue" – plus trio tracks "Night & Day", "Minority", "Tenderly", and "Oleo". Includes the bonus track "Some Other Time".

3 rare French jazz soundtracks on one CD! First up is the music from the film Les Loups Dans La Bergerie, written by Serge Gainsbourg, and performed by Serge's arranger Alain Goraguer – in a hip modern mode that recalls some of the best soundtrack work by Barney Wilen, Miles Davis, and Art Blakey from the same period. Next up are 5 tracks from Les Tripes Au Soleil, written and performed by Andre Hodier – with a feel that's similar to that of Gourager's work, but perhaps a bit more modern. Hodier's tunes feature solos by Roger Guerin on trumpet and Pierre Gossez on alto, plus some performances by Christine Legrand. Last up are tracks from the Freddie Redd's score for The Connection – played by the Daniel Humair Soultet, a very cool group that features Humair on drums, Eddy Louiss on piano, Sonny Grey on trumpet, Jean-Louis Chautemps on tenor, and Rene Urtreger doing the arrangements. The work on the set's a wonderful variation on the American recording of the work – done by Redd and Jackie McLean – with a very different kind of energy that opens up the compositions nicely. Titles include "Wigglin", "Overdose", "Danse", "Le Desert", "Rhythm & Blues No 1", "Les Loups Dans La Bergerie", and "Cha Cha Cha Du Loup".

An amazing soundtrack from 60s Europe – one that features incredible work from saxophonist Barney Wilen, right up there with his best Parisian recordings of the time! The score was written by George Gruntz for a little-known Swiss film – but it stars an all-great cast of players that includes Wilen on tenor and soprano, Marcel Peeters on alto and flute, Raymond Court on trumpet, and the great Kenny Clarke on drums. Gruntz himself plays piano, and scored the music with some excellent noir-ish touches that give the album a similar feeling to some of the best Nouvelle Vague soundtracks by Wilen, Miles Davis, and Art Blakey. Titles include "Student Hang Out", "Jazz Appreciation", "Latin Stroll On Theme", "Spanish Castles", "The Proposal", and "Good Time Joe". 18 tracks on this beautiful vinyl pressing from Sonorama – which is expanded from the original 10-inch release of the material in 1960.

Classic jazzy soul from the great bassist/vocalist who worked most of the greats of the 70s – from Miles Davis to Norman Connors. This album's one of Henderson's best, and has a beautiful mix of mellow soul and jazzy instrumentation. Includes the nice sample cut "Let Me Love You", plus "Whip It", "Goin Places", and "I'll Be Understanding".

Sweet electric fusion from Japanese drummer Motohiko Hino – a set that's got a deeper vibe than some of his other work of the 70s! The set's a live one, and all tracks are quite long – played with an open, exploratory feel by the group – in ways that are almost an extension of the Miles Davis/Bitches Brew mode, but with a different sound, given the lack of any horns. The lineup features keyboards from Mikio Masuda, guitar from Katsumi Watanabi, and bass from the great Isao Suzuki – and titles include "You Make Me So Sad", "Olive's Step", and "Endless Way".

A key change for John McLaughlin – post-Mahavishnu, post-Shakti, and very much the electric guitarist promised in the title! The album's one of McLaughlin's more professional fusion outings of the 70s, but still has some of the earthiness of his roots – and despite a rather large lineup that includes players from both previous groups, plus some 70s fusion superstars, John still manages to make the album come across with a nicely personal feel. Guitars are acoustic and electric, six string and twelve – and titles include "Miles Davis", "Guardian Angels", "Singing Earth", "The Dark Prince", "The Unknown Dissident", and "Desire & The Contorter".

A late 50s album that issues some killer combo material by Bird! One half of the album features work by a group that includes Red Rodney, John Lewis, Ray Brown, and Kenny Clarke – and the other features Parker with Miles Davis, Walter Bishop Jr, Max Roach, and Teddy Kotick. Tracks are short, and include some classics – and the album includes alternate takes of 4 numbers. Titles include "Si Si", "Swedish Schnapps", "Back Home Blues", "Lover Man", "Au Privave", "She Rote", and "Star Eyes".

One of Art Pepper's classic recordings, in which he plays with a spare quartet backing by Miles Davis' rhythm section at the time – Paul Chambers, Red Garland, and Philly Joe Jones. An essential "east meets west" jazz recording, with Art at the top of his game, playing in a unique setting for the first and only time (it's said that Art didn't even know of the date until the morning of the session). Pepper is one of the few alto players to really establish his own voice on the horn, without aping Bird, and his emotive playing really shines here. A definitive version of "Straight Life" is on this album, along with "Waltz Me Blues", "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To". and "Star Eyes".

A seminal third stream recording – the height of late 50s modern jazz in all of its seriousness! The album features works written by Schuller, John Lewis, Jimmy Giuffre, and JJ Johnson – all of them larger, serious jazz-meets-classical type numbers – performed by the Brass Ensemble Of The Jazz & Classical Music Society, led by Schuller, but featuring Miles Davis, Joe Wilder, and JJ Johnson as the soloists. It's the solo work that makes the "jazz" component hold out nicely – and titles include "Poem For Brass", "Three Little Feelings", and "Pharoah".

A great step forward for trumpeter Christian Scott – a set that really delivers all the promise we've always seen in his music – and really pushes things into rich new territory too! The title and cover look rootsy, but the rhythms are really futuristic – soaring, spiraling bass, drums, and piano – plus Fender Rhodes too – used in these unbridled ways that are almost to Scott's career what Bitches Brew was to Miles Davis! Yet that's also not to say that this double-length set is any sort of Bitches copycat either – as Scott's inspirations are a lot different, and the tunes are sometimes nicely compact – able to deliver a lot with just a little, all while still setting his horn free much more than before. Titles include "New New Orleans", "Who They Wish I Was", "Spy Boy/Flag Boy", "Dred Scott", "Danzinger", "Jihad Joe", "Cara", "Red Rooster", "Liar Liar", and "I Do".

A perfect illustration of the rich new directions Wayne Shorter was taking at the start of the 70s – an amazing flurry of sounds and styles that's light years ahead of where he began in the 60s! Shorter's one of those players who was already great at the start – an amazing tenorist, both on his own and with the groups of Art Blakey and Miles Davis – yet by the time of this record, he'd absorbed a huge amount of influences from Brazilian music, modal jazz, the spiritual underground, and even the free European scene – all of which come to play on the long, complex tunes on the set! The record has Shorter working with some other key contemporaries of this new moment in jazz – John McLaughlin on 12 string guitar, Chick Corea on marimba and percussion, Dave Holland and Miroslav Vitous on bass, and Ron Carter on cello – all players who have the same open, exploratory vibe as Wayne's own lines on tenor and soprano sax. Titles include an excellent cover of Milton Nascimento's "Vera Cruz", plus the tracks "Antiqua", "Iska", and "Montezuma".

One of the best of the Schema/Rearward reissues of lost Italian jazz – and a sparkling session that features the work of a young Gato Barbieri, plus trumpeter Franco Ambrosetti, pianist Franco D'Andrea, and bassist Giovanni Tommaso. Drummer Franco Tonani leads the session – but the best work is by Ambrosetti, who's got a lot of Miles Davis in his horn at this point, and by D'Andrea, who's warm and lyrical, with none of the self-indulgence of later years. Barbieri lacks the fire of his great recordings, but his tenor's also nice and strong – and he adds some of the rougher edges to the session, in a nice counterpoint to Ambrosetti's sweeter horn. Titles include "Solar", "Vamos", "U Boat", "Drum Ding", and "Hard Mode", done in 2 takes. Great package, with a nice cover, and excellent attention to good sound!

One of Sarah's few albums for Columbia – and quite possibly the best, thanks to some great small group backing, heard on 8 of the album's 12 tunes! The group's a really great one – with Miles Davis on trumpet, Benny Green on trombone, Buddy Johnson on tenor, Tony Scott on clarinet, Mundell Lowe on guitar, and Billy Taylor on piano – all of whom get some surprising solo space on the album, and make the record one of Sarah's best jazz outings of the 50s. The remaining tracks on the set have a lusher ballad style, but are still quite nice – and titles include "Mean To Me", "Goodnight My Love", "Can't Get Out Of This Mood", "East Of The Sun", "Pinky", "Ooh Whatcha Doin To Me", and "Come Rain Or Come Shine". 10 bonus tracks too – including unreleased cuts and alternates.

They're not kidding about "The Photo Issue" tag on the cover – because this issue of Wax Poetics is filled with a wealth of amazing music photos – so much so, it almost feels like one of those high-end art books, but at a fraction of the price! The issue seems much larger than before – almost 200 pages overall – and it's filled with current and classic photos of New Orleans musicians, Brazilian artists, and a fair bit of hip hoppers from back in the day! But even with all those pics, the Wax Poetics crew have still given us plenty to read here – as at least a quarter of the magazine still features text – with articles on funky Miles Davis, Max Roach, Sharon Jones, Numero Group Records, East Bay Funk, The Dragons, Beastie Boys, and others!

6 classics from Weather Report – presented in cool tiny LP-sleeve covers! First up is the original Weather Report album from 1971 – a massive session that took fusion to a whole new level for the 70s! Most of the players here had been associated with Miles Davis at some point in the year or two beforehand – and Miles' electric work is definitely a starting point for this group – but they quickly flow off in whole new directions, thanks to the mighty legacy of their own talents on previous records! Next is I Sing The Body Electric – one of the finest statements ever uttered by group, and a set that's got a bit more soul and warmth than their first album! The lineup's changed slightly at this point – still Wayne Shorter on reeds, Joe Zawinul on keyboards, and Miroslav Vitous on bass – but Eric Gravatt has replaced Alphonse Mouzon on drums, and Dom Um Romao's taken over for Airto on percussion – giving the record an even earthier feel at times! Then, you get the 2CD set Live In Tokyo – an album that was only ever issued in Japan at the time of recording, and which really shows a searing side of the Weather Report sound! Sweetnighter is one of our favorite albums ever from Weather Report – an album that has them picking up a bit more soul than before, and shaking off some of the experimental sounds of their roots – yet all in a way that still makes them one of the most revolutionary fusion combos of the time! There's an incredible sense of tightness between the reeds of Wayne Shorter, the keyboards of Joe Zawinul, and the bass of Miroslav Vitous – and even when things go a bit outside, there's always a sense of focus and groove that brings them back together – a style that's never entirely funky, but which has plenty of funky elements to please our ears! Mysterious Traveller brings a new sense of focus in the Weather Report sound – that building, soaring groove that would become the group's trademark in the mid 70s – offered up here in one of it's first and finest examples! The approach is one to describe accurately on paper – but which is instantly recognizable as the Weather Report sound of the time – a flowing, stretching, organic vibe that builds equally from the talents of all players, and turns it into a wonderfully righteous groove! And last up is Tale Spinnin – a beautiful title for a beautiful little record – one that really does have Weather Report spinning out musical tales in sound – with a free-flowing and soulful sense of energy! The groove's definitely tighter than the earlier years, but it's never slick – and Joe Zawinul handled the overall orchestrations for the record, with an approach that's often highly rhythmic, vamping, and building up nicely as the tunes roll on.

It's no secret that some of the greatest jazz soundtracks ever were recorded in Paris – and this CD contains 2 of them! First up is the landmark Un Temoin Dans La Ville – recorded under the leadership of tenor sax player Barney Wilen, who had made such a huge contribution to Miles Davis' famous score for Acenseur Pour L'Echafaud. Wilen's score features 12 incredible tracks that are just dripping with black and white cinematic mood – played by a group that includes Kenny Dorham, Duke Jordan, and Kenny Clarke. Titles on that set include "La Pendaison", "Sur L'Antenne", "SOS Radio Taxis", "La Vie N'est Qu'Une Lutte", and "Ambiance Pourpre". The remaining 6 tracks on the CD are from the very rare soundtrack to J'Irai Cracher Sur Vos Tombes – written and arranged by pianist Alain Goraguer, with a group that includes trumpeter Roger Guerin, vibist Michel Hausser, and bassist Pierre Michelet. The soundtrack recalls a lot of Davis and Wilen's work together – and tracks include "Theme De Liz", "Blues De Memphis", and "Surprise Partie Au Bord De L'Eau".

Startling! This album is one of two that a young Tony Williams cut for Blue Note, back when he was just hitting the age of 20, and when he was already blowing the minds of masters like Jackie McLean (who first hired him) and Miles Davis (who stole him from Jackie for his own group!) with an approach to drumming that was freed from usual time constraints. Williams conception was so unique, other young modernists – like the album's Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and Sam Rivers – quickly benefited from his presence, as you'll hear in this amazing session that sounds very little like any other Blue Note release. Williams wrote all of the tracks, but the style is much freer than any sense of composition might imply – and the group is shaken up differently from track to track. Titles include "From Before", "Echo", and "Extras".

The music of the French New Wave – brought out beautifully in an overstuffed 3CD set! The late 50s shift in French cinema is arguably one of the most important film moments in the 20th century – and although the movies are best remembered for their directors, stars, and striking images – most of the films also had some pretty amazing music as well! In fact, we've always felt that the music was integral to the Nouvelle Vague – from famous jazz scores, to lovely lyrical passages, to bold orchestral arrangements that also ended up having a huge impact on wider European music as well. This package is the first we've ever seen to really dig deep into the New Wave – and it brings together 80 tracks from dozens of films – a really wide variety of music, provided by artists who include Michel Legrand, Georges Delerue, Paul Misraki, Pierre Jansen, Miles Davis, Maurice Jarre, Jean Constantin, Martial Solal, Michel Magne, Antoine Duhamel, Alain Romans, and others – from movies that include 400 Blows, Jules & Jim, Hiroshima Mon Amour, Les Bonnes Femmes, Une Femme Est Une Femme, Breathless, Weekend, Lola, Cleo De 5 A 7, Le Bonheur, Alphaville, and many others! Some films are represented by a few tracks, others by famous themes – and the package also features a booklet with notes in French and English too.

One of Joe Farrell's first LPs as a leader – and a stellar session that's one of the high points in the CTI catalog! During the late 60s, Farrell had been emerging as a modernist – with less of the funky sound of his later 70s work – and this album pairs him with a very Miles Davis-oriented lineup that includes Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, and John McLaughlin, all of whom are playing here in a fantastic modal mode, with none of the cliches of later years. Farrell really rises with the company – blowing tenor and flute in lines that are complicated and creative, yet still every bit as clear and precise as his later funk work. Titles include "Molten Glass", "Motion", "Follow Your Heart", and "Circle In The Square".

A landmark album – even if it was the only session that Cannonball Adderley ever cut for Blue Note! The album was recorded at a time when Adderley was working with Miles Davis – and as such, the session features a group that includes Miles, blowing in a cool tone that's a perfect offset to Cannonball's more soulful style. The rest of the group includes Hank Jones, Sam Jones, and Art Blakey – and like John Coltrane's Blue Train, the record's more of an "special session" than the usual Blue Note album, but the strength of the players make it one of the more memorable records of its day! Titles include "Somethin' Else", "One For Daddy-O", and a nice moody take on "Dancing In The Dark".

A landmark album – even if it was the only session that Cannonball Adderley ever cut for Blue Note! The album was recorded at a time when Adderley was working with Miles Davis – and as such, the session features a group that includes Miles, blowing in a cool tone that's a perfect offset to Cannonball's more soulful style. The rest of the group includes Hank Jones, Sam Jones, and Art Blakey – and like John Coltrane's Blue Train, the record's more of an "special session" than the usual Blue Note album, but the strength of the players make it one of the more memorable records of its day! Titles include "Somethin' Else", "One For Daddy-O", and a nice moody take on "Dancing In The Dark".

One of the coolest, baddest, funkiest albums Cannonball Adderley ever recorded – a massive suite of tunes based on the signs of the Zodiac, produced to perfection by David Axelrod, and featuring some hip recitations from the mighty Rick Holmes! The double-length set is completely compelling all the way through – a darkly brooding batch of funky jazz that shows a strong Miles Davis electric influence at points, thanks to Nat Adderley's spacey trumpet lines, Mike Deasy's trippy guitar, and George Duke's excellent keyboards! Other tracks are a bit more laidback, fitting the mood of their respective signs – and overall, the whole thing slips and slides wonderfully from cut to cut – taking you through the star signs with a really righteous, soulful approach. Titles include "Cancer", "Sagittarius", "Pisces", "Aquarius", "Capricorn", "Virgo", "Taurus", "Aries", "Libra", and a special "Introduction".

One of the first albums in what was to become a very successful pairing – the bass of Ray Brown and the vibes of Milt Jackson, working here in a down-homier setting that was miles away from his work with the MJQ! The set's got a light jazzy backing on most tracks – with some guitar from Kenny Burrell, some piano by Hank Jones, and some organ by Wild Bill Davis – and about half the tracks on the set feature vocals by gospel singer Marion Williams, singing here in a jazz/gospel style that comes across with a lot less of the hoke than you'd expect. Titles include "What Kind Of Fool Am I", "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child", "Nancy", "Much In Common", and "Gravy Blues".

Prog takes a deep look at the long history Rush – featuring new interviews with Geddy, Alex and Neal! Prog the magazine always takes a pretty liberal, and non-elitist approach to what they classify as progressive rock – and we dig that! This issue covers Spock's Beard, The Flaming Lips, Kevin Ayers, The Magic Band, Family, Cosmograf, Roger Hodgson, Bitches Brew-era Miles Davis and more. The free CD is titled The Spirit Of Radial – with tracks by Spock's Beard, Motorpsycho, Hedvig Mollestad Trio, Nine Stones Close, Blue Cartoon, Vienna Circle, Grand General and many more.

An overlooked late 60s treasure on Blue Note – 2 rare albums by Kenny Cox & The Contemporary Jazz Quintet – one of the few new groups to work on the label at the time, and an up-and-coming modern combo from Detroit! The first album's quite unique for a number of reasons – not just because the group was a little-known new signing to the label, but also because the work is quite far-reaching at times – some of the most free-thinking jazz recorded for Blue Note during the time, with a sense of boldness that almost stretches back to Jackie McLean's first few records of the new thing years, or a sense of lyrical invention that's a bit like Wayne Shorter when he made a shift towards the outside. Some numbers are awash in fast colors and changes, while others are a bit more in the pocket, with echoes of soul jazz – but the whole thing's incredibly fresh and free, a wonderful little record that only gets better and better over the years! The group features pianist Kenny Cox as the leader, plus Charles Moore on trumpet, Leon Henderson on tenor, Ron Brooks on bass, and Danny Spencer on drums. Titles include "Mystique", "You", "Trance Dance", "Eclipse", and "Number Four". The CD also features the group's second Blue Note album, Multidirection – a session of work that builds strongly on the colors and changes explored by Miles Davis earlier in the 60s, but which takes things off into a whole new direction! (A Multidirection?) The horns on the record have incredible interplay – trumpet by Charles Moore and tenor from Leon Henderson, playing together with a sense of dexterity that may even beat the team of Davis and Wayne Shorter – angular one moment, softly lyrical the next, and always in pursuit of fresh tones and righteous sounds. Kenny Cox's piano is great too – an exercise in understatement at times – getting as much done with one note as other players would with five – as he slowly guides the group along, and grounds their freer expressions with a good sense of humanity. Titles include "What Other One", "Gravity Point", "Spellbound", "Snuck In", and "Sojourn".

Jazz funk genius from Freddie Hubbard in the mid 70s! Gleam was a Japanese-only double album from the jazz giant in its original release – mighty funky at times, too – right up there with some of the best Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock Japanese sets from the 70s! It's a live set captured in March of '75 at Tokyo's Yubin Chokin Hall – long numbers played by a group that includes Freddie on trumpet, Carl Randall on tenor and flute, George Cables on electric piano, Henry Franklin on bass, Carl Burnett on drums, and Buck Clark on percussion! Each player has plenty of space to groove, and it's very well captured – you can hear the most expressive solos and the most subtle nuances. Some great solos by Freddie and the rest of the players – breathless tenor & flute by Randall, keys by Cables that are jazz funk perfection and interplay between Burnett's drums and Clark's congas & percussion that's somehow tense and comfortable at the same time. The shortest number in the set runs more than the 7 minutes and the longest is more than 20 minutes – and none is one second shorter than necessary, actually leaving us pining for more – making it all the more vital in the double album format. Released on 2CDs for the first time ever here! How this great album has been so hard to find over the years is a mystery. Titles include "Kuntu", "Spirits Of Trane", an amazing cover of Stevie Wonder's "Too High", "Midnight At The Oasis", "Ebony Moonbeams", and "Put It In The Pocket".

The Jazzwise cover feature takes a look into the "Lost Quintet" period of Miles Davis – which is the group recently spotlighted on the astounding Live In Europe 1969 (Bootleg Series Vol 2) box set – and featuring Jack DeJohnette, Chick Corea, Dave Holland and Wayne Shorter! Other features include piano jazz great Cedar Walton looking back it his 60+ year career, jazz-folk-fusion combo Quercus, singer and pianist Liane Carroll, Kurt Elling on the Lambert, Hendricks & Ross album that changed his life in Turning Point (good choice, Kurt!) and more.

A perfect illustration of the rich new directions Wayne Shorter was taking at the start of the 70s – an amazing flurry of sounds and styles that's light years ahead of where he began in the 60s! Shorter's one of those players who was already great at the start – an amazing tenorist, both on his own and with the groups of Art Blakey and Miles Davis – yet by the time of this record, he'd absorbed a huge amount of influences from Brazilian music, modal jazz, the spiritual underground, and even the free European scene – all of which come to play on the long, complex tunes on the set! The record has Shorter working with some other key contemporaries of this new moment in jazz – John McLaughlin on 12 string guitar, Chick Corea on marimba and percussion, Dave Holland and Miroslav Vitous on bass, and Ron Carter on cello – all players who have the same open, exploratory vibe as Wayne's own lines on tenor and soprano sax. Titles include an excellent cover of Milton Nascimento's "Vera Cruz", plus the tracks "Antiqua", "Iska", and "Montezuma".

A great Wayne Shorter session from the mid 60s – recorded then, but not issued until 1979, for some incredibly unexplained reason – especially given the strength of the set! The group is distinctly modern, and features Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, James Spaulding on alto, and McCoy Tyner on piano – all of who were committed to heavily pushing the boundaries of their playing at the time. Added to the mix is the youthful Tony Williams on drums, fresh from work with Miles Davis, and playing with an incredibly free hand on the kit – plus the great Ron Carter on bass. The resulting mix of tracks is a beautiful example of how these mid-60s Blue Note sessions could keep firmly in touch with modern developments in jazz, yet never lapse into the kind of sloppiness that could sometimes ruin sets like these on other labels – always with a keen sense of timing and rhythm, and a sharpness that made Blue Note's "new" newer-sounding than most. Titles include "Lost", "Angola", "The Big Push", and an amazing jazz take on Sibelius' "Valse Triste"!

One of Sarah's few albums for Columbia – and quite possibly the best, thanks to some great small group backing, heard on 8 of the album's 12 tunes! The group's a really great one – with Miles Davis on trumpet, Benny Green on trombone, Buddy Johnson on tenor, Tony Scott on clarinet, Mundell Lowe on guitar, and Billy Taylor on piano – all of whom get some surprising solo space on the album, and make the record one of Sarah's best jazz outings of the 50s. The remaining tracks on the set have a lusher ballad style, but are still quite nice – and titles include "Mean To Me", "Goodnight My Love", "Can't Get Out Of This Mood", "East Of The Sun", "Pinky", "Ooh Whatcha Doin To Me", and "Come Rain Or Come Shine".

Startling! This album is one of two that a young Tony Williams cut for Blue Note, back when he was just hitting the age of 20, and when he was already blowing the minds of masters like Jackie McLean (who first hired him) and Miles Davis (who stole him from Jackie for his own group!) with an approach to drumming that was freed from usual time constraints. Williams conception was so unique, other young modernists – like the album's Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and Sam Rivers – quickly benefited from his presence, as you'll hear in this amazing session that sounds very little like any other Blue Note release. Williams wrote all of the tracks, but the style is much freer than any sense of composition might imply – and the group is shaken up differently from track to track. Titles include "From Before", "Echo", and "Extras".

Tony's a million miles from his work with the Miles Davis Quintet on this record – grooving in a heavy rock/fusion mode with his New Lifetime group that includes Allan Holdsworth on guitar, Tony Newton on bass and vocals, and Alan Pasqua on keyboards. The tracks have a post Jeff Beck kind of approach – lots of heavy riffing in a way that does create a bit of funk at the right moments, almost in the Alphonze Mouzon/Tommy Bolin mode. Titles include "Sweet Revenge", "Inspirations Of Love", "Lady Jade", "What You Do To Me", and "Joy Filled Summer".

Groundbreaking jazz from the Finnish scene at the start of the 70s – and a key illustration of the way that Finland really few the flag of fusion high at the time! The music is a wonderful criss-crossing of acoustic and electric elements – never too jamming, and definitely with the same sense of complexity that Miles Davis was bringing to the Bitches Brew generation – especially in the way that the rhythms move across the set with an energy that would hardly have been imagined in jazz a few years before! All tracks are nice and long, and the set features many players who'd later go onto greater fame in the Love Records world, heard here at their youthful best – a lineup that includes Mike Koskinen on trumpet, Pekka Poyry on soprano sax and alto, Juhani Aaltonen on tenor, Heikki Sarmanto on Fender Rhodes, and Edward Vesala on drums – on titles that include "Made Up Story", "PS DC", "M&M", and "Odds Against Intervals".

A beautiful fusion of Joe Zawinul's roots in the groups of Miles Davis and Cannonball Adderley – a set with some of the far-reaching jazz ideas of the former, and much of the soulful subtleties of the latter! The album features Joe on electric piano throughout, playing alongside Herbie Hancock in a twin-piano style that's quite spacious, and filled with slow-building, long-flowing lines! Other players include Woody Shaw on trumpet, Earl Turbington on soprano sax, George Davis on flute, Miroslav Vitous and Walter Booker on drums, and Joe Chambers, Billy Hart, and David Lee on a range of percussion. All these elements are used slowly, and sparingly – brought in with a style that's modern, but in a gentle sort of way – not as over the top as some of the work that Joe cut with Miles at the end of the 60s – and almost a more sensitive, compositional approach to the same territory of music. Titles include "Arrival In New York", "Doctor Honoris Causa", "In A Silent Way", "His Last Journey", and "Double Image".

A landmark album – even if it was the only session that Cannonball Adderley ever cut for Blue Note! The album was recorded at a time when Adderley was working with Miles Davis – and as such, the session features a group that includes Miles, blowing in a cool tone that's a perfect offset to Cannonball's more soulful style. The rest of the group includes Hank Jones, Sam Jones, and Art Blakey – and like John Coltrane's Blue Train, the record's more of an "special session" than the usual Blue Note album, but the strength of the players make it one of the more memorable records of its day! Titles include "Somethin' Else", "One For Daddy-O", and a nice moody take on "Dancing In The Dark".

An unreleased treasure from the European scene of the late 50s – material recorded for a soundtrack, and a rare meeting of American trumpeter Donald Byrd and French tenor giant Barney Wilen! Neither the film nor the music were ever issued at the time – and this archival project finally brings together the sublime sounds in the studio from Byrd and Wilen – music that's easily every bit as great as the best French jazz scores of the time, as well as most other European hardbop records too! The group features talents from both sides of the Atlantic – Jimmy Gourley on guitar, Walter Davis on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Al Levitt on drums – and the style is a bit tighter than usual for a jazz soundtrack – with long tracks that have a more conventional jazz tune shape, instead of shorter atmospheric numbers. Wilen gets plenty of room to stretch out in expressive tones – as on his soundtrack work with Miles Davis from the same time – and hearing Byrd's trumpet alongside makes for a really nice contrast!

Edison and Davis team up for this record that features Edison on trumpet, Davis on tenor sax, Hugh Lawson on piano, Ike Isaac on bass and Clarence Johnston on drums. Tracks include three Edison originals "Oo-ee!", "Jawbreakers", and "Moolah". The album also contains Miles Davis' "Four" and "Broadway", "A Gal In Calico", "I've Got A Crush On You", and "Close Your Eyes".

Everybody Digs Bill Evans – or at least it certainly seems that way from the cover endorsements by Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, and Ahmad Jamal – but the real proof is in the record, and the set is a great one from Bill's classic years on Riverside! Evans is at the peak of his early powers here – working with a straightforward rhythm combo that features Sam Jones on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums – but still hitting those beautifully fluid, beautifully spacious lines that set his playing apart from most who'd come before him. Tracks include 3 solo numbers – "Lucky To Be Me", "Peace Piece", and the very short "Epilogue" – plus trio tracks "Night & Day", "Minority", "Tenderly", and "Oleo".

A tremendous double-length set by this hip group of legendary players – a quartet lineup that features trumpeter Roy Campbell, reedman Daniel Carter, bassist William Parker, and drummer Hamid Drake – all working together in sounds that definitely reach some other dimensions in music! The format is very loose and open-ended – perfect for the loft jazz-styled improvisations from the combo – working here in a very friendly, supportive setting in front of a Parisian audience – who clearly inspire the musicians to new heights. Some tracks are quite long, but stand as bold statements throughout – and others are a bit shorter, and nicely compact. Titles include "Other Dimensional Space Travelers Hip Bop", "Blues Configuration", "Slam Me Down", "Blues For Baghdad", "Desert Dance", "Suite For Miles Davis", and "James Brown Ascension".

An 80s issue looking back on alternate takes of seminal bop material cut by Bird for Savoy. The recordings here are all of alternate versions of those originally released by Savoy on 10"s and 78s, and feature Parker alongside Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Bud Powell and others. 16 tracks in all, including "Tiny's Tempo", "Romance Without Finance", "Billie's Bounce", "Thriving On A Riff", "Donna Lee", "Chasin' The Bird", "Milestones", "Half Nelson", "Bluebird" and more. . .

A perfect illustration of the rich new directions Wayne Shorter was taking at the start of the 70s – an amazing flurry of sounds and styles that's light years ahead of where he began in the 60s! Shorter's one of those players who was already great at the start – an amazing tenorist, both on his own and with the groups of Art Blakey and Miles Davis – yet by the time of this record, he'd absorbed a huge amount of influences from Brazilian music, modal jazz, the spiritual underground, and even the free European scene – all of which come to play on the long, complex tunes on the set! The record has Shorter working with some other key contemporaries of this new moment in jazz – John McLaughlin on 12 string guitar, Chick Corea on marimba and percussion, Dave Holland and Miroslav Vitous on bass, and Ron Carter on cello – all players who have the same open, exploratory vibe as Wayne's own lines on tenor and soprano sax. Titles include an excellent cover of Milton Nascimento's "Vera Cruz", plus the tracks "Antiqua", "Iska", and "Montezuma".

The compelling story of Alan Lomax – the man who recorded so much music around the globe, he was practically a rock star himself! Lomax's efforts with a tape recorder are the stuff of legend – and he's left behind a huge legacy of important recordings that would have never happened without his efforts – jazz, blues, folk, and global sounds – collected in the Library Of Congress, issued on Folkways, and circulated in other key ways too! This huge book really gets at the breadth of work and effort that Lomax put into his projects – and the whole thing is magnificently done by John Szwed, who's previously penned important books on Sun Ra and Miles Davis. 438 pages, hardcover.

Trumpeter Corey Wilkes and a great group pay homage to Miles Davis at Chicago's legendary Velvet Lounge in May of 2010! Miles' spirit and soul are in each note here, but the group doesn't set out to simply cover the material – these are fresh, yet deeply influenced perspectives. It kicks off with a slow-building take on the Jerome Kern-penned "Yesterdays" that feels like Miles' late 60s style, and it works really well. The pieces are each pretty spacious and it's great that way – you don't want 'em to end! Kevin Nabors is on tenor, Greg Spero on keys, Junius Paul on bass, Xavier Breaker on drums and Kahil El Zabar on percussion. Includes "Yesterdays", "It's About That Time", "Tutu" and "So What/In It's Right Place" – running 15 to 26+ minutes each.

Sweet electric funk – in a very trippy style! Before Donald Byrd hooked up with Larry Mizell and started recording his smooth fusion grooves of the mid 70's, he recorded this gem – kind of a "lost" album that has Donald working in an open-ended electric sound – one that's clearly inspired by the experiments of Miles Davis, but which has a generally funkier feel overall! The tracks are very long – with lots of spiralling keyboard and trumpet solos – and the hip players on the set include Bobby Hutcherson, David T Walker, Wilton Felder, and Harold Land. We love the tracks on this set – especially "The Emperor" and "The Little Rasti", which are both over 15 minutes long, and have a haunting spacey sound that's a departure from Donald's usual work!

An unreleased treasure from the European scene of the late 50s – material recorded for a soundtrack, and a rare meeting of American trumpeter Donald Byrd and French tenor giant Barney Wilen! Neither the film nor the music were ever issued at the time – and this archival project finally brings together the sublime sounds in the studio from Byrd and Wilen – music that's easily every bit as great as the best French jazz scores of the time, as well as most other European hardbop records too! The group features talents from both sides of the Atlantic – Jimmy Gourley on guitar, Walter Davis on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Al Levitt on drums – and the style is a bit tighter than usual for a jazz soundtrack – with long tracks that have a more conventional jazz tune shape, instead of shorter atmospheric numbers. Wilen gets plenty of room to stretch out in expressive tones – as on his soundtrack work with Miles Davis from the same time – and hearing Byrd's trumpet alongside makes for a really nice contrast!

An overlooked late 60s treasure on Blue Note – 2 rare albums by Kenny Cox & The Contemporary Jazz Quintet – one of the few new groups to work on the label at the time, and an up-and-coming modern combo from Detroit! The first album's quite unique for a number of reasons – not just because the group was a little-known new signing to the label, but also because the work is quite far-reaching at times – some of the most free-thinking jazz recorded for Blue Note during the time, with a sense of boldness that almost stretches back to Jackie McLean's first few records of the new thing years, or a sense of lyrical invention that's a bit like Wayne Shorter when he made a shift towards the outside. Some numbers are awash in fast colors and changes, while others are a bit more in the pocket, with echoes of soul jazz – but the whole thing's incredibly fresh and free, a wonderful little record that only gets better and better over the years! The group features pianist Kenny Cox as the leader, plus Charles Moore on trumpet, Leon Henderson on tenor, Ron Brooks on bass, and Danny Spencer on drums. Titles include "Mystique", "You", "Trance Dance", "Eclipse", and "Number Four". The CD also features the group's second Blue Note album, Multidirection – a session of work that builds strongly on the colors and changes explored by Miles Davis earlier in the 60s, but which takes things off into a whole new direction! (A Multidirection?) The horns on the record have incredible interplay – trumpet by Charles Moore and tenor from Leon Henderson, playing together with a sense of dexterity that may even beat the team of Davis and Wayne Shorter – angular one moment, softly lyrical the next, and always in pursuit of fresh tones and righteous sounds. Kenny Cox's piano is great too – an exercise in understatement at times – getting as much done with one note as other players would with five – as he slowly guides the group along, and grounds their freer expressions with a good sense of humanity. Titles include "What Other One", "Gravity Point", "Spellbound", "Snuck In", and "Sojourn".

A great Wayne Shorter session from the mid 60s – recorded then, but not issued until 1979, for some incredibly unexplained reason – especially given the strength of the set! The group is distinctly modern, and features Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, James Spaulding on alto, and McCoy Tyner on piano – all of who were committed to heavily pushing the boundaries of their playing at the time. Added to the mix is the youthful Tony Williams on drums, fresh from work with Miles Davis, and playing with an incredibly free hand on the kit – plus the great Ron Carter on bass. The resulting mix of tracks is a beautiful example of how these mid-60s Blue Note sessions could keep firmly in touch with modern developments in jazz, yet never lapse into the kind of sloppiness that could sometimes ruin sets like these on other labels – always with a keen sense of timing and rhythm, and a sharpness that made Blue Note's "new" newer-sounding than most. Titles include "Lost", "Angola", "The Big Push", and an amazing jazz take on Sibelius' "Valse Triste"! Also features a bonus alternate of "Angola".

The groundbreaking first album from Weather Report – a massive session that took fusion to a whole new level for the 70s! Most of the players here had been associated with Miles Davis at some point in the year or two beforehand – and Miles' electric work is definitely a starting point for this group – but they quickly flow off in whole new directions, thanks to the mighty legacy of their own talents on previous records! The group features an intense lineup with Wayne Shorter on saxes, Joe Zawinul on keyboards, Miroslav Vitous on bass, Alphonse Mouzon on drums, and Airto on percussion – all coming together in a groove that's often incredibly raw and free – with plenty of sharp electronic bits from Zawinul crackling under the acoustic elements in the music. The sound is still quite revolutionary all these years later – and titles include "Tears", "Eurydice", "Orange Lady", "Umbrellas", and "Milky Way".

A very interesting batch of tracks – one tune apiece by each of the artists named in the title, recorded between the years 1970 and 1973 at the Festival Ljublijana, in Yugoslavia. Bill Evans performs a long, and straight reading of Miles Davis' "Nardis" with a trio that includes Eddie Gomez on bass and Tony Oxly on drums; Karin Krog sings a spare version of "Round Midnight", with only the bass of Arild Andersen for accompaniment; and Archie Shepp blows freely on a version of Grachan Moncur III's "Sonny's Back", in a group with Dave Burrell, Don Garrett, and Muhammad Ali. Perhaps the most striking track, though, is "The Creators" by Bobby Hutcherson – played with his group that included Harold Land and Hal Galper, and performed in an 18 minute reading that builds beautifully, into the dancing soul jazz sound that was Hutcherson's best contribution to jazz at the time!

A sweet blend of west coast jazz and Brazilian rhythms – and one of our favorite records ever from trombonist Raul De Souza! The session's got a more soulful, jazzy feel than some of Raul's other dates from the 70s – not nearly as tight as his sets for Capitol, with an earthy undercurrent in the music, thanks to the production efforts of Airto, who spearheads the session. Horns are by JJ Johnson, with some slight echoes of his soul soundtrack work of the period – and other players include Ted Lo on keyboards, Richard Davis on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums – plus a bit of guest alto sax from Cannonball Adderley on a few tunes. Titles include "Water Buffalo", "Dr Honoris Causa", "Canto De Ossahna", "Nana", "Festival", and "Chants To Burn".

Thaione's eighth album – and he's sharp as ever here – with solid beats, atmospheric production touches and tough, honest and personal rhymes. Thaione handles the bulk of the production, but Seventeen includes trio of tracks produced by GEAUX. Includes "Push", "Stolen Moments", "The Listen", "From Where The Devil Smiles", "Enhancements", "Falling Down", "Posterboise", "Magnetic", "Top Shottas", "Bridges Of Yesterday" and more.

Probably the best jazz album that Phil Upchurch ever cut! Phil plays in two settings here – one with a funky large group, arranged and conducted by Ed Bland (who did a lot of the work for Perception records in the early 70s) – the other with a quintet that includes Wynton Kelly, Richard Davis, Jimmy Cobb, and Montego Joe! To our ears, the best stuff's the large group material, because Upchurch's years of studio work seem to come to the forefront as he wails with the large arrangements – but the quartet material's also pretty darn great, as Phil rarely got a chance to play in such a tight small combo jazz setting, and Montego Joe's conga work really grooves those tunes up nicely as well! Tracks include "Feeling Blue", "Stop & Listen", "Muscle Soul", "Israel", and "Subaceous Lament".

One of Sonny Rollins' real standout sessions from the 70s – a different vibe than before, but a sound that's still as striking than any of his earlier records! The record features him in a slightly more modern group – with backing by Walter Davis Jr on piano, Masuo on gutiar, Bob Cranshaw on bass, David Lee on drums, and Mtume on percussion – a great mix of acoustic and electric elements that brings up a sweet 70s sound for the record. Sonny's solo power is still tremendous – differently pitched here, but still incredibly inventive – and titles include "Pictures In The Reflection Of A Golden Horn", "Notes For Eddie", "Love Man", and "Sais", a great composition by Mtume, which is handled here by Rollins in an incredibly soulful manner!